The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 181: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

oo OE oe a a Cm oe o_o ins 8 eateneweeee os 170 TI MYSTERIES. placed in asituation which afforded an opportunity that could ecarcely be resisted. And the reader must make all possible allowances for him, if his firmness did rapidly ebb away. For there he was— encircied in the warm and tender embrace of an amorous woman, who was strikingly handsome —a -woman who, althongh in tho meridian of her life, nevertheless appeared several years younger, inas- much as care ond attention had wonderfully pre- served her charms,—s woman, therefore, who pos- se -sed all the attractions of a youtg girl, combined with the dangerous fascinations of an accom- plished syren. Alas! we must confeas that Florimel was on the point of surrendering—was on the very verge of suffering himself to be seduced by that artful and voluptuous creature, as if he were the coy young woman and she was theexperienced man of mature age, — yes, ho wasabont to yield to theopportunity, the place, and the temptation,—when his good genius interposod. Or was it for thy sweet sake, O innocent and beanteons Pauline! that some pro- pitious power manifested its saving influence at that moment when the vows pledged to thee were on the point of being lost in perjury ? We know not: suffice it to say that at the in- stant when Mrs. Brace was about to triumph and Lord Florimel to succumb, a hasty knock was heard at the door of her chamber. The young nobleman burst from the arms of tho milliner, who instantly threw herself back upon the pillows, drawing her vesture over her palpitating bosom: then, in a voice as composed and collected as she could render it, she ex- claimed, “ Come in!” Harriet, the lady's-maid, entered the room bearing a letter. “J shall uow say farewell,” cried Lord Flori- mel, inwardly rejoicing at this providenttal in- terruption : for a sudden revulsion of feeling had revived al) his good resolutions in a moment. “ I ere that you have business to attend to, my dear friend,” he added: then, having pressed her han®, he hurried away, regardless of the lovk which she cast tu implore him to remain. “ From whom does this note come ?” demanded the disappointed and enraged milliner, scarcely able to subduc an inclinatiun to wreak her spite and annoyance upon the abigail. : “A young woman, dressed in widow's weeds, brought it, ma’am,” was the answer. “I should not have intruded until you were disengaged, but that she said the letter was of the utmost im- portance to you as well as to otlicrs.” “ Strange!—-whom can if be from ?” murmured Mrs. Brace. “Is the person waiting ?” “ Yes, ma'am. But I’m inclined to think that there's something strange about ber—for the moment I opened the street-door, she rushedin and ehut the door again of her own accord, just for all the world as if she was afraid of being seen coming here, or as if some one was watching her out- side.” “Wait an instant,” said Mrs. Brace, a vague misgiving seizing her : for as she turned the soiled and ill-fulded letter over in her hand, she could not help associating it in some way or another with her husband, the Magsman. At length mustering up courage to open it, she saw that the contents were written in a scrawling female Land, as was also the address outside ; and, with a sinking of the heart and ea changing countenance, she perused the following lines :— “Mapam,—Fearful that when you hear « stranger wanted to speak to you at this early hour, you miht send down & message to 82y you was or some- thing of that sort, I take the liberty of sending you this note while I wait for your anewer. I want you to see me atonce and without delay; because [ve somethiug of the greatest importance to tell you about Joe Warren, and something or another that you must do, since he is ia trouble and I'm unable to help him aeIcoald wish. So if you wantto avoid bother and exposure and al! that, you'll be so good as to see me in private at once; and if not, I shall know what to think and how toact Bat I mesa no offence, only to let you aee that lm firm. “Your hamble servans, “Ecreapsern Macs” | [Jarriet, the lady'a-maid, saw that her mistress changed colour and grew considerably agitated as _ sho read the note: for indeed Mrs. Brace was utter” | ly unable to conceal, much less subdue, the painfal emotions which its contents excited in her bosom. “You may conduct the woman hither,” she said, in a low and hoarse tone. The abigail withdrew ; and themilliner instantly , rose, slipped on her dressing-gown, and seated herself in a chair near the toilegte-table to await the coming of this most unwelcome visitress. | The colour had completely fled from her cheeks, wuich, though retaining all their natural plump- ness, were now ghastly in appearance: for the vo- luptuous thoughts and libidinous ideas which eo recently filled ber bosom, giving animation to her fine countenance, had been suddenly dispersed, like chaff upon the whirlwind, by the incident that had broken in on her guilty pleasures. Presently the door opened; and a young woman in widow's weede was introduced by Harriet, who immediately retired, leaving her tuistress alone with the stranger. ‘Sit down,” said the milliner, in a suffocating tunoc, as she pointed to a chair; “and naw tell me what has occurred—who you are—and what you require of me.” “In the first place, ma'am,” said the Gallows’ Widow—for sho it was,—“Joseph Warren was arrested last night—and he's in prison now. Secondly, I suppuse there’s no offence in my tel- ling you thaf l'1a hisery particular friend——_” “] understand you, young woman. Go on!” exclaimed Mrs. Brace. ‘Thirdly, then, I want you to do acertain some- thing which I can't explain in es moment, and which will help him to get out of gaol as com- fortable as possible,” added the Gallows’ Widow, “ or else he'll be hung, to a certainty.” The milliner shuddered—not so much at the idea of the probable fate of the Magsman, but at the thought that she should have the misfortune to be so closely linked to such a wretch. “ Ah! you may well be shocked, ma'am,” ob- served the Gallows’ Widow, on whom the tremor which thus convulsed the entire frame of Mrs. Brace was not lost: ‘it would indeed be an aw- ful thing for you to know that your own husband was hung up like a dog.” “Spare your comments, young woman,” said the milliner, in a stifling voice. “I see that you know all—everything?’” she added, fixing « searching look upon her. _ “Yes: all—everything,” responded the Gal- lows’ Widow. ‘ Warren has no secrets from ma Iam acquainted with his adventure bere—in thir COMIC OOOKS.ECO